Festival Has Flair Of India

Event Offers Food, Clothing, Culture

When Renu Kirpalani wears a traditional outfit from her native India, people admire the bright colors.

"Americans always say `Wow, that's so beautiful,'" said Kirpalani, a junior at Spanish River High School. "I wore it to a friend's wedding and everybody loved it."

Kirpalani got together with some of her friends and decided to let people try on Indian outfits. The women's booth was one of the most popular attractions at the Festival of India, held at the The Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens on Sunday. Customers paid a dollar to try on traditional Indian garments and have their photographs taken.

"I think it's the greatest thing I've seen so far," said Georgette Flood, of Fort Lauderdale, who tried on a red skirt, orange blouse and a long red scarf.

Flood and her sister, Lorraine Gruschow, wanted the picture to show to their grandchildren. "Wait till they see this, they'll freak out," Gruschow said. "I think the clothes are beautiful."

Kirpalani spent much of the day answering questions about bindis, the colored dots Indian women wear on their foreheads. It used to be that Indian women wore large red dots on their foreheads if they were married.

Kirpalani said the dots don't mean anything these days. "I'm wearing this one because it's pink and it matches my outfit," she said.

Kirpalani was wearing cotton pants and a long cotton shirt that went almost to her ankles. "A lot of people think it must be steaming in this," she said. "But I tell you, it's cooler than shorts."

The event also included Indian food and entertainment and cultural demonstrations. Tracy Ouellette, of West Palm Beach, had the back of her hand painted with a paste made of ground henna leaves. The paste will leave an elaborate orange-colored flower design on Ouellette's hand for one to three weeks.

Indian women traditionally decorated their hands with lace-like designs for ceremonies.

"I just thought it was neat," Ouellette said.

Arun Sarna was giving Indian-style face and head massages. He said his technique can be used to relax or energize people.

Helene Buntman, of Boca Raton, said the massage, which started with a gentle caress and ended with a vigorous rubbing of the face and scalp, worked.